Figure 6.

Effects of inhibiting MC-derived tryptase in the rat model. A, B) ARPE-19 cells labeled with phalloidin after 72 h treatment with serum free media (control), tryptase 1 μg/ml and 5 μg/ml in vitro. The graph shows quantification of the percentage of ARPE-19 cells that have degenerated (n = 4, per group). C, D) Choroidal whole mounts labeled for RPE65 at 4 wk post implantation of 48/80-hydrogel in rats treated with daily subcutaneous injections of the tryptase inhibitor APC 366 or vehicle. The graph shows quantification of the percentage of RPE that have degenerated (APC 366; n = 8, vehicle; n = 6). E, F) 8 wk ERG with the stimulus of 0.01, 0.1 and 1 cd.s/m² at 8 wk after treating with APC 366 or vehicle in the 48/80 implanted eyes. The graph shows a- and b-wave amplitude with the stimuli of 0.01, 0.1 and 1 cd.s/m² at 8 wk post implantation treated with APC 366 or vehicle (n = 8, per group). G, H) Representative H&E sections after treating with APC 366 and vehicle for 8 wk after administrating 48/80 in the rat. The graphs show area of retina and choroid evaluated in cross sections stained with picrosirius red (n = 6, per group). Data are mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001; 1-way ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc comparison (B), 2-tailed, unpaired Student’s t test (D, F, H). Scale bars, 50 μm.